My mother-in-law is here! Craig’s mom was a trooper who had more than 24 hours of travel time to get to Tokyo and we couldn’t be happier to have her staying with us. She also brought with her a suitcase full of goodies including our favorite U.S. candy and some new bedding. Woohoo!

And here you have my web finds for the week. Check back to see our adventures around town!

We’ve done quite a bit of travel planning lately as our packed summer gets closer and closer. I’ll be doing plenty of flying in the coming months but it’s worth it to share in some major milestones back home and see new places.

Enjoy my web tacks for the week, kicking things off with some info on Asia’s most popular beverage.

It’s the start of a new week and you’ve probably noticed the site looks a little different right now. I’m changing some things up on the technical and design sides so please excuse this temporary look — 100 Tacks is “under construction” but stay tuned for a new and improved look very soon. Thanks for your patience and readership, which has allowed me to continue growing this space 🙂

To get your week going, here are my latest web finds:

If you come to Tokyo with $5, you can get Kit Kats. Find out what else you can get around the world for a Lincoln. [Business Insider]

The velour tracksuit bites the dust. Can’t say I didn’t totally want one — back in high school. [The Cut]

Catching up with the real-life antagonist who inspired the film Shattered Glass. A really interesting profile about honesty and forgiveness and total news junkie/journalism nerd material. [The New Republic]

Some great advice for any aspiring big-city homeowners. The average price for a Tokyo apartment is around $500,000. [Refinery29]

Friends and family ask us all the time what we miss the most about the states. Obviously, they top the list — the makes-my-heart-hurt list. But this post isn’t that list. I wanted to put together all the little things you never imagine missing until you move away.

It comes with the territory when you seek out a new culture, and it goes without saying all these things have been replaced with new discoveries we wouldn’t trade for anything. Well, maybe for some biscuits and gravy, but we’ll get to that.

The list of what I love about Japan would be twice as long. So take this with a first-world-problems grain of salt and enjoy! (WARNING: A lot of this is gonna be food-related.)

I miss . . .

. . . easily accessible swimming pools. I couldn’t stomach spending between $25 and $75 for an afternoon of swimming no matter how hot it got.

. . . (on that note) central air.

. . . coney dogs from Lafayette Coney Island in downtown Detroit.

. . . my car, at least when I need to run errands.

. . . Chipotle. I plan to spend my first few days back home buried in a burrito bowl.

. . . superstores that have everything. Target, don’t forget me.

. . . beauty superstores — think Sephora and Ulta. Thank god the former ships here so I can find foundation that matches.

Today is off to a great start because I just signed up for my first Japanese cooking class! A fellow expat has a friend coming to town next month who was looking for someone to take a course with so I jumped at the opportunity. The class is October 1 and I can’t wait to share what I learn here.

Today is off to a productive start. Here’s what I’m reading so far:

A look inside Sarah Jessica Parker’s home. Which is for sale. Dying. Time to pack. [Refinery29]